Bristol Buses, Coaches & Lorries Album

Bristol buses were sturdy, dependable, workmanlike pieces of engineering. Similarly, the bodywork by Eastern Coach Works (ECW), seen on so many Bristol chassis, was well-proportioned and well-constructed, without any frills or furbelows. Tens of thousands of Bristol buses and coaches saw service on British roads down the years without fuss or fanfare. Enthusiasts for other bus builders regarded the privileged position of Bristol and ECW as the in-house providers for the Tilling companies (and thus the nationalised undertakings) as an unfair advantage. Yes, Bristol-ECW had a guaranteed market, but there were more managers of municipal or independent bus companies who looked with envy at the Bristols in their local Tilling fleet than vice versa. The history of the company is detailed in this publication and it also covers the stories of Eastern Coach Works (ECW) and Brislington Body Works (BBW), Bristol's own coachbuilding department.